A Bit of a Background

Having been practiced for over a thousand years, Thai massage is a well-known element of Thai medicine. Combining manipulation, medicine, and ritual as well as diet, Thai medicine is rooted in the idea that disease occurs as a result of imbalance throughout the body’s energy system. Promoting that balance is the aid that allows for the total healing and rejuvenation of the patient. Thai massage, similar to Shiatsu, is surprisingly gentle compared to other therapies.

The Techniques Unraveled

Because Thai massage is holistic, several techniques must be learned, which are applied in two directions on the energy channels throughout the body.

One such technique is ‘blood stopping’; pressure is applied on the leg or arm arteries for about one minute, so that the principal source of circulation is cut out in order to heighten blood pressure, which slows the heart muscle contractions, which then – as the artery is released and the blood supply is restored to the organ – in turn tone down the blood pressure by creating a relaxed state. This is not recommended for those with diabetes or heart issues.

The ‘passive’ technique is performed by the therapist slowly, at several stages, by stretching and releasing the muscles and joints of the patient. Some other techniques that may be involved in Thai massage are hatha yoga or postures.

The Involvement of Reflexology

‘Reflexology’ which has also been more simply termed as ‘foot massage’ is an essential part of Thai massage. Different points on the feet are believed to correspond to specific organs, so treatment of those points can assist in healing those body parts. Enhancement of the energies in the feet is also believed to allow the patient to form a deeper connection with the Earth.

A proper Thai massage can last up to three hours, if performed on the whole body with all of the techniques that this treatment should employ. Ensure that your therapist is licensed and professional, as these techniques if performed improperly can cause damage to your body and mind. Consult your doctor if you have any particular concerns or for a recommendation.

So What is a massage? You will have a trained professional known as a massage therapist, who presses, rubs, strokes, kneads, and otherwise manipulates the muscles and soft tissues of your body. Massage is one of the oldest healing arts. The ancient Chinese, Egyptians, and Greeks are all known to have practiced it. Massage became accepted in the United States in the mid 1800′s only to disappear in the following century and not revive until the 1960′s and 1970′s.

Today, there are well over 100,000 massage therapists at work in the United States. They practice massage in many settings, from hospitals to health clubs to private studios. People go to them for many different reasons: to ease pain, to rehabilitate from injury, to reduce stress, to ease anxiety and depression, and to improve general well-being.

While there are more than 250 varieties of massage techniques, most practitioners use one or more of a few basic methods. Many use a form of Swedish massage, which employs long, flowing strokes meant to be calming and relaxing. As your body becomes relaxed, the massage therapist can also apply focused pressure to relieve areas of muscular tension. Other popular forms of massage include deep tissue massage, which features strong pressure on deeper layers of tissue, and myofascial release, in which long, stretching strokes releases the tension in the fascia (the connective tissue around the muscles). There are also the Asian techniques of acupressure and shiatsu, which use finger pressure on specific points on the body, and the technique called reflexology, which upholds that rubbing certain points on the feet, hands, or ears has a positive effect on various body parts.

What are the benefits of massage? If you have a chronic condition, massage can have numerous benefits. If done correctly, massage can provide a wonderful break from the stress of living with arthritis or another stressful condition. It can aid in relaxation, which by itself helps healing and reduces es stress. It can also reduce pain, improve joint movement, relax tense muscles, and stimulate blood flow. But, massage for those of you who have arthritis should be handled as a complementary therapy, that is, one that is used in combination with, and not to replace, other regular medical treatments such as pain medicine or physical therapy. Listed below you will find five ways that massage can benefit you, even if you don’t have arthritis.

One is relaxation. The best and probably the biggest benefit is relaxation, that’s number one. Massage should bring a sense of well-being to the body. Mary Kathleen Rose is a certified massage therapist in Colorado and after 25 years of experience, and much of that working with those with chronic conditions, she has developed a style of massage she calls Comfort Touch that is characterized by slow, broad, and surrounding pressure. It’s not known exactly why or how massage encourages relaxation. Some speculate that massage triggers the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, (which supports the body’s restorative processes), muscle tension is improved, the heart rate slows, and the fight-or-flight response is revered.

Your circulation changes. While the mechanism is not well understood, massage is also thought to encourage the flow of lymph in the body. (Lymph is a fluid that circulates throughout the body; the cells in lymph help fight infection and disease.) Massage can also increase the flow of blood. However, exercise actually has a greater effect on increasing circulation than massage does. And during a relaxing massage, local circulation may increase, but systemic circulation actually slows down, as evidenced by lowered blood pressure, lower body temperature, and slower breathing. This may explains why many people actually become cooler during massage.

You’ll get pain relief. There is some evidence that massage can actually relieve pain. Those who are getting massages certainly think it does. There was a study done by the American Massage Therapy Association that showed 93% of the people who tried a massage, felt it was effective for their pain relief and there are many theories out there for why a massage relieves pain. But, there are some researchers who speculate that massage encourages the release of pain-relieving hormones or that massage may block pain signals that are sent to the brain.

You’ll have improved joint movement. Through the use of direct pressure, massage can affect the muscles and connective tissues in the body, increasing mobility. This can help increase the range of motion in the joints and lesson stiffness in the muscles, tendons and ligaments for those who have arthritis.

There are also psychological benefits. The psychological benefits from massages are well documented. Massage can change your mood, alleviate any anxiety and depression you may have, and improve your feelings of well-being and safety and this is why so many people will turn to massage.

How do you choose the right massage therapist? Before you go looking for a massage therapist, you should talk to your doctor about whether or not it’s a good idea for you. If you have certain conditions, such as dermatomyositis or severe osteoporosis (the thinning of your bones), your doctor may advise you not to try massages. Once you have the go ahead from your doctor, you can start looking for a massage therapist, but you will want to make sure that they have the necessary education and licensing. It might be a good idea to find one who has worked with people with arthritis and who you’re comfortable with. The person you choose should be someone you feel safe with, safe enough to tell them your needs and what you prefer. Please, don’t be afraid to give feedback if something doesn’t feel right or is uncomfortable or causes pain. A good massage therapist will ask you questions about your current medical conditions, if you’re experiencing a flare-up, or about the severity and frequency of your symptoms, such as your pain or your level of functionality.

One-handed kneading

This one-handed massage can be done fully clothed, so you can do it wherever you happen to be when the need arises.

Begin by stroking your left arm from the wrist to the shoulder, working firmly as you move up the arm and then gliding gently back down again.

Squeeze and roll the muscles of your left arm between the fingers and heel of your right hand. Start kneading on your upper arm, and work down from the shoulder to the wrist.

Use your knuckles to make rotary pressures all along your arm, working as deeply and rhythmically as you can.

Stroke one forearm with the other, slowly rotating the top forearm as you stroke from the elbow to the wrist of your other arm. This stroke massages both arms simultaneously and is very effective.

Hands

Our hands are in constant use and, as a result, they can harbor a lot of tension. Most of our hand movements are holding, clutching actions, so it is very relaxing to counteract these by opening your palm and pulling your fingers. There are many nerve endings on the palms of your hands, and massage here can benefit the whole body. In fact, in reflexology each part of the body is reflected in a in a map of the hand (or foot) and massaging a particular area of the hand will have an effect on the equivalent part of the body.

First, rub your palms together to warm them. Then use your thumb to stroke deeply between each tendon of your right hand from your knuckles to your wrist.
Stroke your left thumb firmly down the palm of your right hand and out toward the side several times in a fanning motion. Then make deep, circular thumb pressures all over your right palm.
Pull and twist each finger of your right hand with the knuckles of your left hand. Work right up to the fingertips.
Repeat the whole sequence (steps 1-3) on your left hand.

Self-massage can be particularly useful if you suffer from chronic or short-term pain. It helps stimulate the release of endorphins and diverts your attention away from the pain. Above all, self-massage lives you a sense of control over your situation.

Final touches

Just as a massage given by someone else has a defined ending phase, a self-massage needs to close on a relaxed note.

Feather stroking

Use light, feather strokes starting at your forehead and then stroke the fingertips of both your hands over your face and neck, down both arms, and leave your body at the tips of your fingers. Then stroke the front of your body, down your legs, and withdraw your touch at your feet. This movement should leave you feeling refreshed, calm, and as light as a feather.

Some popular spa body treatments for stressed New Yorkers one can find at the best spa’s in NYC include:

The Deep Tissue Massage, a service that relieves your muscles of stress and sports related muscle tension. The Swedish massage, which will improve blow food and releases, built up toxins from the muscles throughout the body. The Reflexology massage, which is utilized to effectively work through the patients pressure points in both hands and feet to relieve tension, aches, and pains throughout the body.

Reflexology for Hands and Feet: Reflexology is a form of a massage that focuses primarily on your feet and hands. Having originated in Asia, reflexology is quickly becoming more popular in New York City spa’s being that it’s quick and can even go to supplement the regular weekly manicure and pedicure (for both men and women) while relieving all the tension from the tough work week.

The underlying theory behind reflexology is that there are reflex areas on the feet and hands that correspond to specific body parts, organs and glands. For instance, tips of the toes reflect the head, the heart and chest are around the ball of the foot, the liver, pancreas and kidneys are in the arch of the foot, lower back and intestines are towards the heel. Practitioners believe that applying pressure to these reflex areas can promote health in the corresponding organs through energetic pathways. Therefore, you can get relief in places you thought were impossible to reach by simply applying pressure to the right points in your limbs (arms and legs)!

Along with these effective stress-relieving solutions there are a number of facial treatments that help to clean and restore dry winter skin to its healthy self and let the patients look their best for all the precious holiday photos. Some options include:

Aromatherapy facials, which are therapeutic facials that can visibly improve the vitality and texture of the skin by using a gentle massage technique combined with essential oils. This service is especially geared to relieve muscle tension, poor circulation, and headaches.

Light Therapy Anti-Aging Facial, which uses light and heat to reverse the effects of environmental exposures and aging. As you age, skin texture roughens, spots appear and fine lines make their debut. This treatment works deep under the skin to recapture yesterday’s glow. It can soften fine lines, homogenize skin tones, decrease pore size, improve skin texture and enhance absorption of future creams and lotions.

Because this particular student is also a massage therapist, the conversation included not just the specifics of thumb walking and reflex point locations but also ergonomics -meaning the best posture and angle to sit and work to minimize stress on the body.

Yes, massage therapists and reflexologists alike will have aches and pains from our work (and so will chiropractors and acupuncturists, etc.). Just because we have the knowledge and the power to effect positive change in the body doesn’t mean that we ourselves don’t suffer from the pain of overworked muscles or awkward body mechanics.

It is because we have the knowledge that we can deal with pain in our own body more efficiently and more and more effectively.

For example I have reflex points for most parts of the skeletal and muscular systems, so I can easily work on my own feet or hands (something that’s a little harder to do in massage, polarity, acupressure, etc.).

If it’s a pain that one of my reflexology clients has, I will address it via the feet or hands (face and ears are options too) and I can feel confident that the ensuing relaxation will offer great support.

But what’s the best way to stay in shape and reduce our discomfort when we’re not working on ourselves or having someone work on us?

You guessed it… exercise.

Now there’s a whole sub-culture based on exercise and the one thing that they all have in common is the range of motion action provided for the joints of the body.

In today’s article, I’m going to talk about the most basic and the simplest exercise that can be done by young and old alike. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity – it could be an Olympic event.

The Benefits of Walking as an Exercise

Walking is an exercise that isn’t too glamorous and you don’t need to join a gym because it can be done almost anywhere. In fact, they say that walking for just 30 to 60 minutes every day is practically the best thing you can do for your body, mind and spirit (and it’s also good for the sole).

It seems to get more and more difficult for people today to lead a healthy lifestyle. For example, there are new and more interesting snack and junk foods to distract us from the simple nutrients in simple food. In addition, eating disorders – too much or too little, the lack of proper regular exercise, and a myriad of other health diseases, increase our stress levels and almost seem to contribute to the decline in our contemporary world’s lifestyle.

What to do? Well there are many different approaches and just from the perspective of exercise there are hundreds of popular styles of training and gyrating to keep us fit, but the one exercise that is suitable for people of all ages is a good, brisk walk.

So what are the advantages of walking over say kick boxing? Well the obvious one is that you don’t have to kick anything. Both offer joint mobilization and movement throughout the body but walking is the kinder gentler of the two. You don’t need an equipment or a partner or team and it’s absolutely free! (No two year membership with penalty of leaving early costing hundreds if not thousand in equipment, training and fees.)

Benefits of walking are:

1) Did you know that people who walk tend to live longer and healthier lives? Yes, it’s been studied and found that walking just two miles a day can cut the risk of death (a serious consequence) by almost half (including a lower risk of dying of cancer).

2) Is it true that you can walk off weight by… walking? You bet. Walking is, or should be an important part of any weight loss program.

Of course, you’ve got to watch how much you eat but some weight-loss and conditioning studies have proven that walking is actually more effective than running and other more exotic activities.

Why? Because it’s virtually injury-free, and in addition to that it also has the lowest dropout rate of any form of exercise. Good points.

3) Walking also can have a positive effect on your personal habits. It makes sense that if you commit to this, or any form of exercise, you’ll be taking your health maintenance more seriously and will likely develop the pattern for follow-through in other aspects of your life. It’s been noted that smokers who begin walking will more often cut down or quit the habit.

4) Did you even realize that walking helps to reduce depression? It makes sense that a walk in the park or even an unhurried stroll down the street can help reduce the symptoms of depression. The results can be peace of mind AND body. Now that’s what I call a win-win… winner.

5) Its good for the joints and that includes arthritis: Walking can actually relieve your aches and pains by keeping the joints in movement which in turn helps activate the body’s natural fluid tides. Never underestimate the value of this simple form for support to helping anything from backache to digestion.

6) And last but not least, walking can help to boost your brain power: One study showed that walking 45 minutes a day at good pace (16-minute mile pace) can increase your thinking ability. I’ll never forget that when my Mom was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, I found a book written by an MD that claimed he reduced his own symptoms of Alzheimer’s by walking daily.

If you’re a great fan of massage and relaxation, you might have been looking around for one of these products which are getting increasingly popular lately. Well, this special furniture really does work wonderfully. Here are some good reasons for you to get one.

With a massage chair, you can have a massage therapy anytime you want. It’s very convenient, and it will never get tired trying to relieve your everyday stress and make you feel better. You can simply do it at home whenever you want a massage. Just simply grab a seat and take a quick 15 minute massage. Or if you have more time, go for a full body massage with longer duration. By having a massage chair, you’re provided with unprecedented access to get frequent massage treatment whenever you want it.

Massage therapy can help you relieve pain, aches and discomfort in your body. It has been practiced for many centuries! Mentally, it helps you to relax and can increase awareness. Today, the challenges of our new economic times are causing us to be stressed more than ever before. It is very important to reduce the negative effects of stress on the body. This is one of the best ways to relieve stress while still enjoying ourselves.

Other benefit is you don’t even need the human interaction. To train your massage therapist to give you the massage you want. How much pressure you would like or exactly where you want the massage. Most modern chairs contains a computer which can memorize the setting you enjoy the most. Simply pick the one you like and let the chair do the rest. Some good massage chairs also have many sensors that can make sure that the massage is custom fitted just for your body.

The other reason of having one is because it’s actually a lot cheaper! Think about it. Three thousand hours of massage therapy the chair can give you in just one purchase. Compare it to a massage that runs $65 per hour plus tip from a therapist.

It’s human nature to turn to other consumers for assistance in making decisions to purchase things. In the case of Amazon.com, that group of people is various book enthusiasts. With massage and bodywork services, that community of people is other massage therapy consumers.

Web visitors don’t believe a business will deliver objective guidance on their website. They are skeptical and rightly so. So they seek feedback from customers for the truth. They recognize that individuals who have used the business services before will happily share their frank feelings about a business they’ve used and will truly give them the good, bad and ugly.

There are a ton of review sites. And a ton is a lot.

Right now I want to focus your attention on a specific sort of review website: The ‘map site’. The ones that we look at this week are the three big ones and the ones that we should pay attention to. StatsCan, the government branch responsible for census data in Canada, recently reported (2009) that 52% of Canadians engage in online window shopping. I’m sure that consumers in other places in the world act in a similar way.

It’s the job of search engines to deliver relevant results to searchers. So they put a large emphasis on local businesses because that’s what people most often search for. Google a local service right now. You’ll notice that the local business listings are an integrated part of their mapping systems. Yahoo and Bing (Microsoft’s search engine) do exactly the same kind of thing.

You can plainly see that these listings are given special prominence on the search results page. This is big! Getting listed in Google’s local results is surprisingly easy. For the most part it’s a matter of filling out your listing fully and soliciting a few reviews.

You might be surprised to find out that you may be showing up at the top now without realizing it.

Your company name appears and is hyperlinked to your website. You can see that the phone number is likely displayed beside your website URL. And what’s really important is the links to reviews for that business. Before even looking at your site, people want to know what others have to say about your business, so they click to read reviews.

Check it out in Google. Type ‘massage [your city]‘ or ‘[any type of service] [your city]‘ and take a look at the results. When you click a review link you will see a Google Places listing. This listing contains information that Google has found on that business from phone directories and other sites like review sites. If you look through the Google Places listing a little you’ll see customer reviews.

If you claim the listing as belonging to you, you can edit it, correct any mistakes and beef up the information to get prospective patients to make the decision to book an appointment.

As mentioned above, it is just right that you take care of your feet properly and here are some foot care tips that you just might want to take into consideration. Even for just once a year, you can have your feet checked by a professional. This is to make sure that there are no problems with your feet.

Every once in a while, you also need to check if your feet have cracks and sores. If there are, you have to do something to treat them. Trimming your toenails is another part of properly taking care of your feet which can make you look tidier. Instead of washing your feet with hot water, you should use warm water and then dry them well.

You should pay more attention to the areas between the toes because these are known to be the sensitive areas and are prone to infections. Then, always use comfortable footwear and never walk without wearing anything because you may hurt yourself. And of course, you should regularly exercise your feet to maintain proper blood circulation.

Aside from these foot care tips, another idea that you can consider when it comes to taking care of your feet properly is getting a foot massage. Foot massage, like any other types of massage, has several benefits to offer.

Reflexology is one of the most popular massage techniques that are really intended for the feet. In this particular technique, different points of your feet will be applied a certain amount of pressure that corresponds to a certain point of your entire body. But of course, there are some things that you have to take note of before getting a foot massage. For instance, if you are pregnant, you must not get a foot massage because it can be bad for your child.

The same idea applies when you are suffering from a heart disease or hypertension. And lastly, after drinking any alcohol drink, right after eating and bathing, you should not get a foot massage. It is best if your wait for about a couple of hours before getting a massage to avoid any problems.

Here are some of my secrets to help you maintain health with your physical body:

1) Use Proper Alignment- When applying pressure during massage, make sure your bones are in alignment to conserve your energy and to reduce muscle overuse and misuse. Keep your body as relaxed as possible, and stay behind each stroke as you lean into the tissue beneath you.

2) Make Time for Physical Activity- Another key to career longevity is getting the proper amount of appropriate physical activity, in addition to performing massage therapy. Exercise increases circulation and delivers more oxygen to your body’s cells, boosts your energy, and reduces your chance of injury.

3) Receive Massage- Massage therapists need to get massage themselves. Take some time out to get a massage; either pay for it or trade with a friend.

4) Educate Yourself- Education and having fun are other ways to care for your mental health. Massage Therapy Continuing Education stimulates the mind, and learning keeps you up-to-date on the latest information.

5) Restoration of Your Body- Sleep and rest are vital for repairing and restoring your body. Your physical body not only re-charges when you sleep and goes into repair mode, so you must get adequate sleep to avoid injury.

1. Swedish
Swedish massages are one of the most common kind of therapy inside the United States these days. If a massage type isn’t specified, they’re probably referring to a Swedish massage. Swedish massages involve long strokes, kneading with the muscles, and circular movements on superficial layers of muscles employing massage lotion or oil.

2. Aromatherapy
An aromatherapy massage could be the identical as a Swedish massage additionally to one or far more scented plant oils to address your specific requirements. The oils utilized, referred to as important oils, are relaxing, energizing, stress-reducing, etc. Some essential oils incorporate lavender, eucalyptus, mentha arvensis, and clove.

3. Hot Stone
Hot stone massages involve heated, smooth stones placed on certain parts with the physique to warm and loosen tight muscles and balance power within the body. Stones also might be held and gently applied gently on a physique with pressure. Hot stone massages are recognized to be comforting and good for men and women with muscle tension who prefer a lighter massage.

4. Thai
Thai massages also align the energies of the physique, but by gentle pressure, compressions, and stretches on specific points. Thai massage is identified to be far more energizing than most other forms of massage as it reduces tension, improves flexibility, and range of motion.

5. Deep Tissue
A deep tissue massage entails slower strokes or friction tactics across the muscles to target deep layers with the muscles and connective tissues.

Deep tissue massages are utilized for those who suffer from chronically tight muscles, repetitive strain, posture problems, or those who are recovering from an injury.

People that have received a deep tissue massage often report becoming sore for a couple days right after the massage.

6. Shiatsu
Shiatsu, a massage method from Japan, uses finger pressure on acupuncture points to assist the physique regain balance. Each acupuncture point is held for between two to eight seconds to improve the flow of power. Shiatsu is known to be relaxing and pleasant.

7. Back
Back massages are just what they’re known as, a massage specifically for your back. In case you require unique attention for your back, most massage therapists provide massages just for your back to assist you lessen pressure, ease pain, and relax.

8. Reflexology
Reflexology is actually a foot massage that involves applying pressure to particular parts of the foot that correspond to your organs and vital systems of the physique. Reflexology is utilised for relaxation, especially for those who are tired and have feet aches.

9. Sports
Sports massages are utilised specifically for those involved in sports or any other kind of physical activity. The concentrate is on prevention, treating an injury, and enhancing athletic performance.
The massage is actually a combination of methods such as Swedish massage, facilitated stretching, and far more.

10. Pregnancy
The pregnancy treatment, also recognized as a prenatal massage, is carried out to expectant mothers who can expect to minimize stress, reduce swelling, relieve aches and pains, lessen anxiety and depression. Make sure to locate a massage therapist who’s certified in pregnancy massages and are familiar together with the proper method to position and support the woman’s physique throughout the duration with the service.